| Diamonds "Over a week and still no sign of one!" Fiona sighed. The four had recently set out to obtain spell components for the wizard that had saved Fiona's life, but to no avail, not a single ettercap was in sight. While Fiona's coin purse had been running a little light for her taste, Winnie and Culm had both been eager to get out of the town and back into their natural surroundings. Grodd just seemed thankful to see his favorite elf back on her feet. It seemed, however, that hunting was not going to yield them much this day. As the little group inventoried their rations, they quickly saw the need to get back to town. This time the four chose a new town, though…a town named Dunnville. And as usual, trouble found our little band of friends. Orcs…four of them…launching arrows that soon found Culm's arm. During the heated battle Winnie and Fiona proved to be a lethal duo. Even Grodd dealt his share of damage. The barbarian barely held up his end, but they prevailed and continued to head towards town. After arriving in town, the party quickly found accommodations and Fiona set to work entertaining the crowds at the inn with her melodious voice. Winnie quickly grew weary of the crowds at the bar and opted to sit quietly and study her journal in their rooms. Culm remained silent, contemplating Winnie's increasing skill in combat and set off to stable Grodd and their horses for the night. "Bounty hunters? Not here for us," Culm thought to himself as he settled Grodd in for the evening. He closed the livery door behind him and made his way to the Inn. Perhaps a little ale would help him sleep, he thought. The news that bounty hunters were in town had made him pause for a moment, but then, thus far the group had managed to stay out of that sort of trouble. As Culm reached for the door of the Inn, Culm noticed a Halfling scurrying away with the barbarian's coin purse. Culm lunged forward almost gracefully and snatched the halfling by the throat. Culm read the fear in the Halfling's eyes as he pled for his life. Culm couldn't quite muster enough hatred for the small creature and let him down with a jolt. The tiny rogue handed Culm his coin purse back and stuttered. "S-s-s-sir? C-c-c- could you help m-m-m-e? P-p-p-please?" The thief nearly quaked in Culm's shadow. "Help you? You seemed to have helped yourself to my gold!" Culm's voice boomed. "Shhhh! Keep your voice down," the Halfling whispered. "I'm in trouble and I beg your assistance. You see, there are people after…" Culm looked around, remembering the rumor of bounty hunters. He looked down at the cowering Halfling and thought of Grodd safely tucked away in the stables. "Come," Culm said gruffly and dragged the little thief by the collar back towards the stables. After depositing the little rogue in Grodd's care, Culm made his way back to the Inn. This time I'm going to need more than just a few ales to sleep, he thought to himself. He could hear the laughter and the songs coming from inside the Inn and he patted his coin purse. After consuming more than a few ales, Culm watched Fiona sashaying towards his table. She perched herself upon a chair and reached for Culm's stein and helped herself to a satisfying gulp. Culm nodded and quietly relayed the tale of the Halfling and his coin purse. Fiona listened carefully until Culm stopped abruptly. A hush came over the entire room as a rather menacing half-orc entered the bar and walked towards their table. "Someone wishes to meet you, follow me," were the only words he spoke. He stood back, patiently waiting for the couple to follow him. Curious, Culm stood, looking at Fiona and tilted his head in the half-orc's direction. Fiona shrugged and followed the Barbarian and the ugly little being. Inside one of the Inn's rooms sat a human female who appeared to be waiting for the trio. Behind a desk was an obviously evil being who looked upon the two darkly. The woman got down to business quickly and explained why she sought their company as the evil one looked on. "My associates and I were hired by a very wealthy man to recover some property that has been taken from him. We noticed your arrival to town and thought that perhaps you might be interested in earning some gold. Aid us in recovering the missing diamond or help us take the head of the Halfling thief that stole it and you will be amply rewarded." Fiona shot a look to her Barbarian companion, recalling his story of the coin purse. She returned her gaze to the woman bounty hunter and smiled sweetly. "We thank you for your offer and kindness, but my companion and I aren't really in the market for headhunting or the like. However, should we encounter your plunder or prey, we'll be sure to look you up post haste." Culm couldn't help but smell the wonderous aroma of alcohol on Winnie's breath and pondered if perhaps he was having an influence upon her. Winnie listened to the story of the evenings events as the three made their way to the stables. What awaited them there formed the rest of our story. There in the dim light of the stables stood their bugbear friend, Grodd, with his axe extended above his head, aimed at a white haired cleric. In the corner the Halfling stood shaking, his eyes wide with fright. "Call off your friend," the cleric shouted, afraid that the situation was about to become dire. Fiona shouted for Grodd to back down and a heated discussion quickly ensued. The cleric, Lowkey, obviously aware of all parts of the equation stated, "In order to make things right with the guild we need either the item or the head of the Halfling," he paused, looking down at the cowering Halfling. "And since we haven't got the item…" Before he could finish his thought, an arrow shot past his cheek. The entire party looked in Winnie's direction in time to see her shrug her shoulder slightly after seeing that she had missed her quarry. With their attentions elsewhere, the Halfling took the opportunity to scurry beneath a bale of hay on the center floor and disappeared completely. Fiona's songs had calmed all the players except for Grodd, who in a frenzy, had raised his axe above Lowkey's head and brought it down full force upon the cleric. After more heated words and some major healing, the group went back to their rooms to make plans to get out of town at sunrise. The plan was to seek out the diamond…or at least the owner of the diamond…or perhaps to even come across the Halfling in their travels. Lowkey confessed of knowledge of a tower to the south of town that might hold some answers. The diamond's owner, a powerful magician, had reported to be heading in the direction of that tower so the party thought it made sense to follow his trail. They set out yet again to seek answers to their many questions. After a rather uneventful day of traveling, the party stopped for rest and refreshment. The 5 took turns watching over the camp, hopefully keeping any danger at bay. Culm woke up during the night to learn that Fiona was never woken up for her watch. After quickly searching, he saw that Grodd had been murdered. A mix of anger and sadness filled the barbarian as he realized it could have only been the bounty hunters, sending the party a message. That morning, Lowkey assessed the damage and cast a spell to preserve the body. A saddened party continued their trek to the tower. The tower or more accurately, ruins of a tower, stood ominously before them. The party encountered a series of pitfalls that might have challenged even the heartiest of adventurers. They fought through flora and fauna, creatures that would inspire nightmares and located the bodies of what could only be assumed had once been the living custodians of the diamond. After felling a giant harpy, Winnie detected a loose brick in the wall and upon investigation produced a huge perfectly faceted diamond. Fiona's eyes grew wide with a mixture of satisfaction and greed. Winnie promptly deposited the gem in her pack, holding it safely until the party could agree what might be their next step. |